AN INTRODUCTION It is a silent world, a world devoid of sound. It is an abyss of unknown tunes, of unheard melodies, of nameless songs. The world I belong to is a world where I wake up not to the shrill of an alarm clock, where I walk at the edge of the sea, but cannot hear the waves crashing upon the shore, where I cannot hear dogs barking or the birds flutter above me. [...]
Hi I’m Keith. In the early hours of 26th of August 2012 I was found lying paralyzed on the floor next to my bed. I had suffered a seizure while sleeping and fell to the floor. I had broken my neck by fracturing my C4 vertebrae, which has left me to be a quadriplegic. I have no wrist or hand movement. I have regained use of my arms from originally not being able to move [...]
My name is Shaina Cilimberg and I am almost 27 years old. I was diagnosed with Asperger's in the Dark Age, the 2000s. Back then, there was limited knowledge on Asperger's Disorder. It was a time when mental illness was seen as demon possession or an excuse for sin. While Satan does attack everyone's (neurotypical or not) minds, mental illness is not demon possession. Demon possession has more to do with the individual, not with [...]
So this past week all the bloggers of colour have been writing to all the other bloggers of other colour but since they do not know each other personally [maybe the main problem?] they are simply sticking them on their blog for mostly people of their own colour to read and cheer and like and comment on... although every now and then a person of the other colour stumbles upon it and makes themselves known... [...]
I am a mom to a child with special needs. This is not something we were prepared for or ever expected. Noah looks like a normal little boy and his disability, for want of a better word, is not visible. It makes it easier and infinitely more difficult for him. Because he is not visibly disabled there are no allowances given for what he battles with every day. He is labelled as naughty, undisciplined, disobedient [...]
At two years old, after numerous visits to various specialists, I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative sight condition. RP affects the cells of the retina and results in tunnel vision, night blindness, severe light sensitivity and consistent sight loss. In short, I was going steadily and irreversibly blind. It has been quite a journey so far. Moving from sight to blindness brings with it a set of challenges somewhat different to those [...]
Hi, my name is Uel and pre-December 2011 I was an avid rock climber, swam in the sea a lot, gymed, organized adventure camps and helped out at church. But in December 2011 i dived into a river and well, i didn't end up winning any medals for my attempt but did unfortunately break my neck leaving me paralyzed from the chest down..... I was air lifted to hospital where I spent 100 days, eish. [...]
I’m a quadriplegic, not an inspiration By Lachlan Nicholson Fresh off of my twenty-fourth birthday and living with a condition known as spastic cerebral palsy, I consider most things in my life to be causes for joy and gratitude. After all, I have a full-time job, several good friends and though severe, my disability is not in any way degenerative. However, one thing which has become a major annoyance, particularly since entering adulthood is constantly [...]
From my friend, Dalene Reyburn: So, I’m honoured to be hanging out with Brett in this bustling corner of the internet to introduce the next Taboo Topics series: people with special needs. I think Brett’s a hero for having the courage to open up these sorts of topics – things that are often ignored or misunderstood or too fraught with pain to be voiced. This series will give parents and others a safe space to [...]
A lot of people, yes white ones [like me], switch off when we hear the term 'white privilege' [please don't!] Some people, yes white ones, get angry when we hear the term 'white privilege' [please don't!] But i sometimes wonder if it is because of a misunderstanding of what people who talk about 'white privilege' mean when they do so. So please take a deep breath and try and approach this piece with fresh eyes [forget [...]